The Canadian Bar Association established the Business Practice & Innovation Committee with the purpose of keeping a pulse on trends and other significant events that may impact the legal community. I am honoured to be named chair of the CBABC committee in the coming year. 

One of my hopes, in my role as chair, is to promote awareness of technological advancements in the legal field. Keeping pace with tech innovations is a great passion of mine and one that I want to promote in an impactful way through the CBABC committee. Part of the committee's work will be to address the trepidation many attorneys feel towards new technology. Tools such as AI models for predictive analysis can be incredibly useful in an attorney’s practice but may seem far-fetched to some. Navigating the ethical implications of using tools such as AI will be another significant part of the committee’s work. 

I welcome the introduction of technology in the field as a means to enhance our ability to serve a world still rattled by a global pandemic. Education will be key to familiarizing the greater legal community with the tools available. Tools that not only have the potential to enrich an attorney’s practice but also to buoy firms and courts alike through unparalleled circumstances. We are peacemakers, third-party analysts, and advocates; society will always need us to fulfill those roles. Can we not then look to the tech community for tools to achieve those ends while still meeting our high ethical standards? I think the answer is “yes,”; there is a pathway to a healthy partnership between technology and the legal world. 

I look forward to lending my energy to the committee and working collaboratively with the other members to serve the greater CBA community. In a profession where advocacy on behalf of clients is paramount, I see enormous value in fostering advocacy on a lawyer-to-lawyer basis. When lawyers support lawyers, we all benefit. This mindset will be at the forefront in my role as chair. I am humbled and honoured to take on this new venture.